- unitid
-
{"value"=>"186358", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"*MGZMD 575", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"b23536990", "type"=>"local_b"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1941-2012", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1941/2012"}
{"value"=>"1970-1990", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1970/1990"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Gelsey Kirkland collection"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"25 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"10.25 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"19 video recordings", "unit"=>"video_recordings"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Jerome Robbins Dance Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Gelsey Kirkland is a ballerina known for her career with New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. The collection, dating from 1941 to 2012, chronicles the Kirkland's early life, ballet training, and her experiences as a principal dancer. Kirkland's collection consists of photographs, press materials, programs, correspondence, video recordings of performances and television appearances, and files related to her autobiographies."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Kirkland, Gelsey", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Gelsey Kirkland was born on December 29, 1952, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Her parents, both in the entertainment industry, were Jack Kirkland, a Broadway playwright, and Nancy Hoadley, an actress.</p> <p>When Kirkland was a teenager, she relocated to New York City with her mother and older sister Johnna. Both sisters attended the School of American Ballet, with Gelsey joining the New York City Ballet (NYCB) company in 1968. Kirkland became a soloist in 1969 and a principal dancer in 1972, dancing with the company until 1974. During her tenure with NYCB, Kirkland was a favorite of George Balanchine, who created roles for her in his revival of <span class=\"title\">The Firebird</span> and Jerome Robbins' <span class=\"title\">Goldberg Variations</span>.</p> <p>In 1974, Kirkland joined the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) as a principal dancer. At ABT, she began her partnership with Mikhail \"Misha\" Baryshnikov. The two danced together in numerous productions, including <span class=\"title\">Giselle</span>, <span class=\"title\">The Sleeping Beauty</span>, and <span class=\"title\">Romeo and Juliet</span>. In 1977, Kirkland starred as Clara in the televised version of <span class=\"title\">The Nutcracker</span>, choreographed by Baryshnikov.</p> <p>After Baryshnikov's departure from ABT in 1978, Kirkland's professional and personal life became turbulent. She and her partner, Patrick Bissell, struggled with cocaine addiction, leading to their firing and subsequent rehiring by the company. Kirkland continued performing with American Ballet Theatre, all while strugging with substance abuse and eating disorders until 1984.</p> <p>In 1986, Kirkland published her autobiography, <span class=\"title\">Dancing on My Grave</span>, co-authored by her then husband, Greg Lawrence. That same year Kirkland returned to ABT to dance as Princess Aurora in <span class=\"title\">The Sleeping Beauty</span>, partnered with Kevin McKenzie. In 1990, she published a follow-up to her autobiography titled <span class=\"title\">The Shape of Love</span>, also with Lawrence, about her move to England and restarting her career after challenges with addiction.</p> <p>Kirkland's dance career continued into the early 1990s, where she performed leading roles with the Royal Ballet in London, and various guest appearances. During the decade, her focus increasingly shifted toward teaching and choreography. In 2007, Kirkland staged and choreographed a new production of <span class=\"title\">The Sleeping Beauty</span> for ABT. In 2010, Kirkland established the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet where she serves as a co-artistic director alongside her husband dancer, Michael Chernov.</p> <p>Kirkland has received a range of awards and recognition for her work. In 1987, Kirkland was honored at the White House by Nancy Reagan, and in 2006 she earned the Dance Magazine award and the Kennedy Center's Victory of the Spirit Award.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Gelsey Kirkland collection spans 1941 to 2012, with the bulk of materials dating from 1970 to 1990. The collection follows Kirkland's career as a principal dancer with both New York City Ballet (1968-1974) and American Ballet Theatre (1974-1984), as well as her early life and ballet training.</p> <p>The collection is arranged into five series that includes photographs, press and publicity, correspondence, personal files, and video recordings. Of note are drafts, research, and publicity kits for her 1986 autobiography, <span class=\"title\">Dancing on My Grave</span>, and its 1990 sequel, <span class=\"title\">The Shape of Love</span>.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Gelsey Kirkland collection is arranged in five series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/186358#c1785597'>Series I: Photographs</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1950-2012</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series I holds photographs of performances, portraits of Kirkland, and images arranged alphabetically by subject. The bulk of the photographs portray Kirland's performances with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and New York City Ballet (NYCB).</p> <p>Performance photographs capture Kirkland in roles with NYCB, including <span class=\"title\">Firebird</span> (1970), <span class=\"title\">Goldberg Variations</span> (1971), Dewdrop in <span class=\"title\">The Nutcracker</span> (1970), and <span class=\"title\">Theme and Variations</span> (1971-1972).</p> <p>Her ABT performances are depicted through photographs with Fernando Bujones in <span class=\"title\">Don Quixote Pas de Deux</span> (1970s), <span class=\"title\">Shadowplay</span> (1975), <span class=\"title\">Romeo and Juliet</span> with Ivan Nagy (1970s), and as Carabosse in <span class=\"title\">The Sleeping Beauty</span> (2007).</p> <p>The series also includes photographs from Kirkland's guest appearances at the Royal Ballet, where she performed the title roles in <span class=\"title\">Romeo and Juliet</span> (1980, 1986) and <span class=\"title\">The Sleeping Beauty</span> (1986). A dedicated file contains photographs from the 1977 televised version of <span class=\"title\">The Nutcracker</span> choreographed by Mikhail Baryshnikov.</p> <p>Portrait photographs comprise another significant component, including work by such photographers as Dina Makarova, Martha Swope, Beverley Gallegos, Steven Caras, Costas, Fred Fehl, Roddy McDowall, William J. Reilly, Daniel Sorine, and Max Waldman. A separate file contains portraits of Kirkland with Mikhail Baryshnikov from the 1970s.</p> <p>Subject files illustrate Kirkland's childhood and family life, early ballet training, award ceremonies, book-related events, teaching career, and photographs with friends and family.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/186358#c1785652'>Series II: Press and Publicity</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1941-2010</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Press and Publicity series (1941-2010) covers Kirkland's career through newspaper and magazine clippings, performance programs, and published materials.</p> <p>The clippings, collected and organized by Kirkland and her family, are arranged chronologically, followed by subject-based files. These files cover specific aspects of her career including her published books, her Royal Ballet residency, her restaging of <span class=\"title\">The Sleeping Beauty</span> with American Ballet Theatre (ABT), and her teaching career. The series also contains files about other dancers.</p> <p>Performance programs trace Kirkland's artistic development from her early training at the School of American Ballet through her tenure with New York City Ballet and later with ABT. Additional programs chronicle her guest appearances with companies including the Royal Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Eglevsky Ballet, as well as her participation in benefit performances, festivals, galas, and award ceremonies.</p> <p>Published materials in the series include magazines, books, calendars, newsletters, and fliers. Kirkland was featured on the covers of several major publications: <span class=\"title\">Dance Magazine</span> (1970, 1986), <span class=\"title\">Newsweek</span> (1975), and <span class=\"title\">Dancing Times</span> (1986). The series also includes a copy of <span class=\"title\">Dancer Shoes</span> by Daniel and Stephanie Sorine (1979), which features a photograph of Kirkland's ballet slippers.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/186358#c1785682'>Series III: Correspondence</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1958-2009</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Correspondence series (1958-2009) embodies Gelsey Kirkland's personal and professional relationships through letters, postcards, telegrams, notes, and drawings.</p> <p>Personal correspondence comprises a significant portion of the series, featuring extensive communication with Kirkland's immediate family. Early letters from 1958 capture exchanges between Kirkland, her sister Johnna, and their father Jack during his time in Los Angeles. The series also contains frequent correspondence from Kirkland's mother, sister, grandmother, and extended family members, often sharing encouragement and congratulations regarding her performances.</p> <p>Professional correspondence includes business communications with dance companies, discussions of overseas employment and work logistics, photograph release permissions, and correspondence with Doubleday regarding Kirkland's autobiography <span class=\"title\">Dancing on My Grave</span>. The series also contains documentation of negotiations to adapt her first autobiography into a film.</p> <p>Some individuals Kirkland corresponded with includes George Balanchine, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Shirley Bernstein, Patrick Bissell, Maggie Black, Fernando Bujones, Steven Caras, Barbara Horgan, Mayor John Lindsay, Carl Michel, Arthur Mitchell, Jackie Onassis, Jerome Robbins, and Anthony Tudor.</p> <p>Fan mail forms another substantial component of the series. These letters range from autograph requests to detailed expressions of admiration for Kirkland's artistry. A dedicated file contains reader responses to <span class=\"title\">Dancing on My Grave</span>.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/186358#c1785693'>Series IV: Personal</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1950-2007</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Personal series reflects Kirkland's life from the 1950s to 2007. The series contains awards, including the Victory Award (1987) and the Gerard Manley Hopkins Award (1990), biographies and press releases, childhood mementos and artwork. There are also papers related to her father Jack Kirkland's life and memorial, and older sister Johnna Kirkland's ballet accomplishments. Also of note are Kirkland's ballet rehearsal and performance schedules from 1974 to 1984.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/dan/186358#c1785700'>Series V: Video Recordings</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1970-1994</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series focuses primarily on Kirkland's ballet career with New York City Ballet (NYCB) and American Ballet Theatre (ABT), and covers some of her most well-known roles.</p> <p>The recordings from Kirkland's early and brief career with NYCB include <span class=\"title\">Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux</span> (1973), <span class=\"title\">Concerto Barocco</span> (1974), and <span class=\"title\">A Midsummer Night's Dream</span> where she was partnered with Jacques D'Amboise.</p> <p>Many of the ABT recordings, including <span class=\"title\">Shadowplay</span> and <span class=\"title\">Theme and Variations</span>, feature partner Mikhail Baryshnikov. Other ABT recordings of note are <span class=\"title\">Raymonda</span> with Rudolf Nureyev, <span class=\"title\">Don Quixote</span> with Patrick Bissell, and <span class=\"title\">The Leaves are Fading</span> with Dennis Wayne and Ivan Nagy.</p> <p>In addition to ballet performances, there are also recordings of television appearances by Kirkland including a United Bank of Denver commercial from the 1970s, an appearance on the <span class=\"title\">Merv Griffin Show</span> from 1981, and a guest role on the legal drama series <span class=\"title\">L.A. Law</span> from 1994.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Donated by Gelsey Kirkland in 2023.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by <span class=\"name\">Tara D. Strongosky</span> in 2025.</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>Jill Kroesen collection on Gelsey Kirkland, *MGZMD 369. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts</p>"}
- date_start
-
1941
- keydate
-
1941
- date_end
-
2012
- date_inclusive_start
-
1941
- date_inclusive_end
-
2012
- date_bulk_start
-
1970
- date_bulk_end
-
1990
- extent_statement
-
10.25 linear feet (25 boxes). 19 video recordings
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Gelsey Kirkland collection, *MGZMD 575. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts"}